The present invention relates to financial document item processing systems, and is particularly directed to a financial document item processing system and a method of operating a financial document item processing system, such as a multiple-pass image-based check processing system, to encode/endorse a financial document item having a radio frequency identification tag.
A typical multiple-pass image-based check processing system includes an image capture workstation which captures images of document items during a first pass of document items, and an encoding and sorting workstation which encodes and sorts document items during a second pass which is after the first pass. The image capture workstation includes an image capture item processing transport which has a document transport path and a number of different hardware devices lying along the document transport path for performing specific document processing operations on document items moving downstream along the document transport path. Hardware devices lying along the document transport path usually include an imaging camera disposed on one side of the document transport path for capturing an image of the frontside of a document item and another imaging camera disposed on the other side of the document transport path for capturing an image of the backside of the document item as the document item moves downstream along the document transport path. The image capture item processing transport has a plurality of pockets located at the downstream end of the document transport path. Each processed document item is directed into one of the pockets. The image capture workstation further includes an image capture transport processor which executes an image capture transport application program which is stored in memory to control operation of the hardware devices lying along the document transport path and thereby to control operation of the image capture item processing transport.
The encoding and sorting workstation includes an encoding and sorting item processing transport which has a document transport path and a number of different hardware devices lying along the document transport path for performing specific document processing operations on document items moving downstream along the document transport path. A typical hardware device lying along the document transport path comprises an encoder disposed on one side of the document transport path for encoding magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) information onto the frontside of a document item as the document item moves downstream along the document transport path. Another typical hardware device lying along the document transport path comprises an endorser disposed on one side of the document transport path for endorsing endorsement-type information onto the frontside (sometimes backside) of a document item as the document item moves downstream along the document transport path. The encoding and sorting item processing transport has a plurality of pockets located at the downstream end of the document transport path. Each processed document item is sorted and directed into one of the pockets. The encoding and sorting workstation further includes an encoding and sorting transport processor which executes an encoding and sorting transport application program which is stored in memory to control operation of the hardware devices lying along the document transport path and thereby to control operation of the encoding and sorting item processing transport.
During the second pass of document items on the encoding and sorting item processing transport, each physical document item is matched with its corresponding image data captured during the first pass of the document item on the image capture item processing transport. This matching must occur before the encoder of the encoding and sorting item processing transport can encode MICR information onto the associated physical document item. However, this matching need not occur before the endorser of the encoding and sorting item processing transport can endorse endorsement-type information onto a document item. The endorsement-type information may be endorsed onto each document item either before or after the document item is matched up with its corresponding image data which was captured during the first pass.
In some instances, a document item may need to be processed through more than one processing center before reaching its final destination. When a document item is processed through more than one processing center, the document item usually contains more than one encoded line and/or more than one endorsement line. When more than one encoded line and/or more than one endorsement line is made on a document item, the encoded lines and/or the endorsement lines may become cluttered and placed on top of each other on the document item. This makes it difficult to read each encoded line and/or each endorsement line. Also, an encoded line or an endorsement line may be faint and difficult to read at a later processing center if an ink ribbon for the encoder or an ink ribbon for the endorser is not properly maintained.